How to Lose Your Child

This is twin #2 on Lake Dillion, a reservoir up in Frisco, CO. This was the day before I lost him. More on that below.

It's 10:06 in Colorado....that's P.M, not A.M. I have been in my running clothes, and shoes, since I got up at 6:30 this morning. Yet I haven't run. I've wanted to obviously, or I wouldn't have the whole attire on, but I haven't (and therefore, I also have not showered. Not so jealous now that you aren't in Colorado, huh!!!)??. And I can't even tell you exactly why I haven't run other than I just am in a total fuuuuunnnnkkk today.

I'm tired. My heel hurts. My head hurts. And today, 3 days after I ran a very challenging vertical trail race, my right calf is still screaming. That's because in a bone-head move to stay off my bum heel, I opted to run on my forefoot and toes on my right foot for the race. And just as I suspected, my calf is letting me know it didn't enjoy that very much. AND, to win the "Dumbest Move Ever" award, this is the calf I have problems with frequently after pulling a muscle in it a few years back; it comes back every now and then, especially when training's going really well, to let me know it's still there. Just cuz I can't actually train for a marathon in one solid, healthy piece now, that'd be too easy. I hear you stupid calf muscle!!!! Now leave me alone. And take the freaking heel pain with you!!!

Sorry, that was just a little frustration temper tantrum.

I can't believe I'm going to San Francisco in like 9 days. L.B. at Muddy Running is also the only blog soul I know who's running the full. He's made a list of things to take to SF. A list. What's that? I usually have my race hat on by now and am all nervous and making mega lists and super-anally organized. Not so much this time around. I did order a new top today (with a pocket for all my garb, of course), I hope it arrives before I leave. If you want to know why I didn't do anything today but lounge around in my running stuff, it's because I wasted 4-hours looking for a new top to wear in SF. This all started by trying to find a lime-green Nike running shirt that Katheen from Happy Trails and I saw at this race last weekend. It had two pockets in the back which would be perfect for my little SF race. It became my quest to find it online today (after physically searching Niketown yesterday to no avail)...but couldn't find it *sigh* ... so ended with something else. It takes time, ya know, to find something with a pocket that looks normal and is PINK. Here she is, a beauty, huh???

Actually, now that I look at it more, it looks a little long for my liking. Oh well. Anyone have any clue what the weather's like in San Francisco at 5:32 A.M. the end of July? I have no clue if I'll freeze to death or not in this thing. At least I'll have gel in my pocket for nourishment as I freeze to death.

Ok, enough woe-is-me-I'm-not-ready-for-SF.... time to move on. For today.

As you recall from my last bragging "I'm famous" blog, I was up in the mountains last weekend. My dear friends from Dallas where here visiting and got a place up in Breckenridge for a few days. I have a relative with a place up there and it happened to be available the same week they were there so whaalaa, we headed up to the high country!

It was cold the first day we were there. Some front came through and to all out there in Humidville, get this: it was 34 degrees when I woke up on Friday morning. And we were going rafting. In temperatures cold enough to form icicles. Well, I wasn't actually going rafting, my kids were, so get the in the car kids and suck it up!!! Said from one who had on 3 layers of clothing. Actually, temps warmed up quickly in our hour drive to Buena Vista, sight of the famous Collegiate Peaks (and our rafting trip):

Mt. Yale, Mt. Princeton, and Mt. Columbia. I'm too tired and lazy to look up their elevations but they're all peaks over 14,000' I think. There they are....along with my friends' van in front of us.

Brendan likes to take a billion pictures to help pass the time. Here I am driving my kids all over the entire state for a little adventure, like the good mom I am. I told you I have 3 layers on. And please ignore the double chin. Egads!!!

Another random picture taken from the car from twin 2. I think that's Mt. Sherman, but maybe not. Yes, that is snow on the peaks. In July.

Here's my babies getting ready to go rafting.

WOOHOOO, there they are drinking a little Arkansas River water! Ryan is on the front left hand side and Brendan is in the rear left hand side. The other folks are our Dallas friends (plus the raft guide in the middle back row). They had a blast.

While the kiddos and friends were out surfing the Arkansas River, I ventured out for one of my most sucky runs ever. Don't let the scenery fool you into thinking this was one of those runs where the awesome surroundings engrossed me and I ran effortlessly for 10 awesome miles. First of all, the chick who told me, "Follow that dirt trail, it's 6 miles to town so there and back would give you 12 miles you seek" lied. It was 3 to town. And the largest Horse Fly EVER decided to be my bff and bugged me those entire 3 miles to town, until it finally bit my back shoulder and I smacked and killed the stupid thing. I still have a big welt that itches like crazy.

So when I got to town, with 3 miles instead of 6, I diverted myself the opposite way of town and ran down a dirt road, which was actually really pretty and found a little stream to run by (ok, it was really an irrigation ditch. Us Coloradoans are water deprived,we'll call anything a stream that flows like one. Or lake, when it's really a reservoir). This gave me another 2 miles so in the end, I did end up with 10 miles. But they were miserable. End of story there.

Ahhhh....but alas, I DID manage to get in my 12 miles. Here comes the fun part of the day, and the title of this blog. Brendan, twin #2, the adventurous child who will put me in an early grave with all his dare-deviling mountain climbing, kayaking, wanting to hike the entire 500-mile Colorado Trail, climb Mt. Everest, and a million other adventures, wanted to take his kayak down part of the Arkansas River. The one and same river as above picture. Um, no way in hell I'm letting this child go down that thing. Alone. So we ventured into town to find out where we could put the boat in where the rapids were more in the lines of Class I or II, not IV like above. Found a kayak store, believe it or not, in this dinky town of maybe a few hundred (but it's a HUGE river sport town) and found out they have a little water park where you can put in the boat and pick up a couple miles down river, and the water is more tame. Sounds good. At the time. Here's a pic of Ryan standing at the point of entry for Brendan's river excursion. Rapids are a lot calmer here, I feel good about this.

Plop Brendan in his kayak and off he goes.....

.....Ryan and I had a little problem finding the point of exit, two miles down the road, so it took us a bit longer than we anticipated to where B was suppose to meet us. Finally get there and there's no Brendan. I'm a wee-bit frantic. There's a dirt trail running along side the river so I start running down about a half mile. Didn't see him so I run back up, thinking that maybe he just never made it yet and was back at the planned meeting place. Get back and he's not there. Run up river a bit. No B. Run back down to the meeting place, still not there. Oh God!! I've lost him. I totally lost my almost 15-year old on the Arkansas River!! You read stories about this in the newspaper but never did I think we'd be one of "those" people stupid enough to let your child go down the river and get LOST! I make Ryan run back up river...Ryan, who's having some motion sickness from the rapids on the rafting trip and is about as green as one can be. Whatever, get out of the car and go find your brother, vomiting or not! I run down river. Again. I get about a half mile down, to the point I was at before, and I SEE HIM!!! OMG, I have never felt so relieved in my life. He apparently didn't see the meet-up place (how could he NOT?? Oh, I guess cuz I had trouble finding it myself...but I was on the road, he was on the river!). So he stopped when he realized he was too far and got out and dragged his kayak behind him along the trail. Ok, y'all can call Child Social Services....I'm sure I deserve it! He's alive - yay! And he actually had the best time of his life, so he says. Me, not so much...but I got an extra couple miles running in :).

I ended the action-pack-almost-lost-my-youngest weekend with a 12K trail race in Colorado Springs - the very reason my calf has been unhappy the past few days. I signed up for this race because of the sole reason it was hilly and would help in hilly SF. Gorgeous course with about 1100' elevation climb in the first 3.7 miles. I was slow...yeah, nothing's really changed there (argh!!) but one thing I noted on this very physically demanding course was that I remained strong. Not fast, but I am getting a little stronger. I never walked except for a few steps when the steepness was just insane (around mile 3) but coming back down I felt really good (for once!) and during the last 2 miles, I was picking off people left and right. Go me! I saw Kathleen from Happy Trails cheering me on as I crossed in some pathetic finish line time. So fun to have a cheerleader! I actually really enjoyed this course and definitely need to put more trail races into my life (hear that Kathleen???!!! :) ).

The cool thing was that AJH, from Age Group Rocks, was in town visiting a friend and ended up doing the race, too, so I got to have yet another bloggie real-life meet-up! So cool! She ran incredible, especially since she had a 13 mile, 8000' vertical climb up Pikes Peak two days before and an adventure through Waldo Canyon the very day before. Kathleen wondered if AJH's friend was on a mission to kill her before the race. You ROCK, AJH!!!

That pic is Katheen, AJH and yours truly. And no, I swear I'm not pregnant...maybe it's the package of Skittles I ate that the kids bought and left out on the counter??? And not just a few...we're talking 3/4 of the bag. More on that later in another blog....

We ended the awesome day with a little brunch. I was a good girl and did not eat Skittles for brunch. Steve and Kathleen from Happy Trails, moi, AJH, and AJH's friend. Notice how nicely we managed to stand in descending heights? Totally unplanned.

So as I wrap this blog post up, I thought I'd write out my goals for tomrorow, Thursday July 15th:

- Actually run in my running clothes and not just wear them all day.

- Go to the gym and do some weights.

- Do not consume 3/4 of a monster bag of Skittles. Do not even eat ONE teeny-tiny cute pink one.

- Buy some paint and paint something in my house - doesn't matter what - just something to keep me busy to stop me from eating half my house.

- Find new songs for iPod for SF playist.

- Follow L.B.'s advice and make a SF list of things to take.

- Do not lose children.

Happy Running!